Naeem Ahmad

This research introduces environmentally friendly, sintering‐free, and cost‐effective hydrophobic geopolymer membranes developed through two distinct raw material routes, metakaolin (MK) and fly ash (FA), for water desalination via direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD). The MK, FA, and alkaline activator were used to prepare a geopolymer slurry. Hydrogen peroxide and egg albumin served as foaming agents and surfactants, respectively. Methyltrichlorosilane (MTCS), methyltriethoxysilane (MTES), and polymethylhydrosiloxane (PMHS) were compared as coating agents for the geopolymer membrane substrates. Results showed that MK‐MTCS exhibited the highest surface contact angle of 136.5 ± 1.8°. Additionally, the average pore size and vapour flux for MK‐MTCS were measured at 0.1339 μm and 11 ± 0.4 kg/m ² ·h, respectively, and the membrane's salt rejection was calculated at 97.4 ± 0.7%. The study concluded that MTCS is an appropriate hydrophobic coating agent for geopolymer membranes used in DCMD‐based water desalination.

A sustainable alternative to fossil fuels, cow dung is a renewable energy source that might considerably lower carbon emissions. By modifying its characteristics, such as its gross calorific value (GCV), it could be utilized as a flexible and effective fuel for both industrial and domestic use. To create a fuel composite with a higher heating value, this research examines the heating values and proximate analysis of local cow dung as well as the effects of blending it with agricultural waste. To provide the best heating value, the technique comprises infusing prepared agricultural biomass blends and cow dung at particular ratios. The composite’s quality was enhanced by increasing GCV from 3066 Kcal/kg to 3600 Kcal/kg, increasing volatile matter content, i.e., from 60% to 68%, as well as lowering the ash content of the resultant pellet from 19% to 11%, on average.

Water is a crucial component of human existence. The earth’s hydrosphere is composed mostly of saline water. Membrane distillation is a process that ensures desalination as a low-pollution and resource-stable technique. Traditional techniques such as reverse osmosis and thermal evaporation are energy intensive and require expensive raw materials. In this work, geopolymer membranes were fabricated from metakaolin and coated with methyltrichlorosilane (MTCS). The coating agent improved the hydrophobicity of the membrane from 28° to 136.5°. A permeation experiment (duration: 3 h) via direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) was conducted for the MTCS-coated membrane, which showed a water vapor flux of 11 kg/m².h. The development of a hydrophobic geopolymer membrane is an exciting advancement for desalination. Overall, this work represents a promising step forward towards the development of a novel eco-friendly technique for processing saline water.